Method for making a flangeless seam for use in disposable articles

ABSTRACT

According to the present invention, a method of making flangeless seams especially useful in disposable articles, such as training pants, incontinence articles and the like is provided. The method includes the steps of: (1) providing a first member of the disposable article; (2) providing a barrier member; (3) folding the first member of the disposable article about the barrier member providing opposing proximal and distal portions of the first member, the barrier member being disposed at least partially between the opposing proximal and distal portions; (4) providing a second member of the disposable article juxtaposed at least a portion of the first member to form a laminate including the first member, the second member and the barrier member; and (5) applying a joining means across at least a portion of laminate, the joining means joining at least a portion of the first member and the second member, the barrier member preventing the joining means from joining the proximal portion with the distal portion.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for making flangeless seamsespecially preferred for use in disposable, pant-like articles having atleast one fixed side comprising a seam. Examples of such disposablearticles include training pants, pull-on diapers or adult incontinencearticles, disposable underwear for children (e.g., toddlers) or adults,and disposable panties which may be used with catamenial devices such astampons or sanitary napkins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Infants and other incontinent individuals wear disposable absorbentarticles to receive and contain urine and other bodily exudates.Absorbent articles having fixed sides have been popular for use in adultincontinence articles and children's toilet-training articles because itis desirable to have an absorbent article which is very garment-like inappearance and feel. (As used herein, "articles having fixed sides"refer to disposable articles such as adult incontinence briefs andtraining pants which are provided to the consumer in a pant-likeconfiguration. Thus, the articles generally have the front and rearportions joined together to form a waist hoop and leg holes. This isunlike conventional diapers which are provided to the consumer with thefront and rear portions unjoined.) For adults, the garment-likeappearance and feel can help reduce any embarrassment associated withthe use of incontinence articles. For children, especially in theirtoilet training stage, the garment-like feel and appearance can help thechild distinguish the article, such as training pants, from a diaper andcan help the child adjust to cloth undergarments.

With regard to disposable articles such as adult incontinence briefs andtraining pants, consumers are very conscious about the fit, containmentcharacteristics and the overall appearance of the articles. Oneimprovement that has become popular with consumers has been the additionof stretch or elasticity throughout different portions of the articles.One example of a commercially available disposable training pant isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,433 entitled "Elasticized DisposableTraining Pant and Method of Making the Same", issued to Hasse et al. onSep. 21, 1993.

Despite the improvements made to disposable articles having fixed sides,such articles generally include seams for joining the front and rearportions. The seams are often constructed by positioning the lateraledges of the front and rear portions of the article in a face-to-facerelationship with one another and then gluing, sewing, heat sealing,pressure bonding or ultrasonically sealing the edges to form flanges orfin seams. Flanges or fin seams can be unsightly if located on theoutwardly facing surface of the article or irritating to the wearer iflocated on the inward surface. Thus, attempts have been made to reducethe outwardly or inwardly extending portions of the flanges of finseams. However, doing so may reduce the strength of the bond between thefront and rear portions of the article which may allow the seam to failduring use.

Another important aspect of a disposable article is the cost of thearticle. Because the article is intended to be discarded, generallyafter a single use, consumers are very conscious of the cost of thearticle. Thus, it would be advantageous to be able to provide a seamthat can be constructed economically on machinery that is very similarto that already in place. Further, it would be advantageous to reducethe amount of material that is needed to produce a satisfactory seam orthat is wasted in attempting to make the seam preferable to theconsumer.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a methodof making flangeless seams especially suited for use in disposablearticles, such as disposable training pants, adult incontinence briefsand the like which are discrete, strong and economical to manufacture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method ofmaking flangeless side seams which can be produced more quickly andeasily than the sewn seams of the prior art and which provide a moregarment-like appearance and are less irritating than the heat-sealed,adhesively bonded or ultrasonically sealed seams of the prior art.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method ofmaking flangeless side seams which reduces the amount of material neededto produce the seam as well as the material waste associated withproviding a seam that is acceptable to the consumer.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a methodfor manufacturing a flangeless seam for use with disposable articlesthat can be made on the machinery used to make currently availableflange, fin or butt seams with minor modifications.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disposablearticle, such as disposable training pants, having flangeless seams.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a method of making flangeless seamsespecially useful in disposable articles, such as training pants,incontinence articles and the like is provided. The method includes thesteps of: (1) providing a first member of the disposable article; (2)providing a barrier member; (3) folding the first member of thedisposable article about the barrier member providing opposing proximaland distal portions of the first member, the barrier member beingdisposed at least partially between the opposing proximal and distalportions; (4) providing a second member of the disposable articlejuxtaposed at least a portion of the first member to form a laminateincluding the first member, the second member and the barrier member;and (5) applying a joining means across at least a portion of laminate,the joining means joining at least a portion of the first member and thesecond member, the barrier member preventing the joining means fromjoining the proximal portion with the distal portion.

While the seams made by the method of the present invention may be usedin any disposable article, a preferred disposable article comprises anelasticized waistband, elasticized leg cuffs and an absorbent assemblycomprising a backsheet, topsheet, and absorbent core.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as formingthe present invention, it is believed that the invention will be betterunderstood from the following description which is taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which like designations are used todesignate substantially identical elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a disposal trainingpant in a typical in-use configuration as it would be applied to awearer comprising a seam formed by one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the chassis of the training pant of FIG. 1having portions cut away to reveal the underlying structure, the surfacewhich will form the outer surface of the disposable article facing awayfrom the viewer;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a seammade by one embodiment of the present invention in the configuration inwhich portions of the seam are joined together;

FIG. 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seam area shown inFIG. 3 in an open configuration;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a seammade by one embodiment of the present invention in the configuration inwhich portions of the seam are joined together;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an alternative embodimentof a seam in the configuration in which portions of the seam are joinedtogether;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seam area shown inFIG. 5 in a partially open configuration;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the seam area shown inFIG. 5 in an open configuration;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of one preferred disposable articlecomprising the openable seams shown in FIGS. 5-7; and

FIGS. 9A-G show a schematic view of a portion of one preferredembodiment of the method of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, it will be noted that FIG. 1 is a perspectiveview of a unitary disposable article. A unitary disposable article isone which is intended to be discarded after it is used (i.e., it is notintended to be laundered or otherwise restored or reused). Thedisposable article may be provided with an absorbent assembly which isplaced in close proximity to the body of the wearer to absorb andcontain the various exudates discharged from the body. A preferredembodiment of the disposable article of the present invention,disposable training pants 20, is shown in FIG. 1.

The training pants 20 of FIG. 1, preferably comprise a chassis 14, anabsorbent assembly 22, and at least one flangeless seam 10. (As usedherein the term "flangeless seam" refers to a seam which extends fromthe disposable training pants 20 about 1/8 inch or less. Preferably theflangeless seam 10 will extend from the article about 1/16 inch or less,and more preferably 1/32 inch or less.) The chassis 14 of the presentinvention preferably has a symmetric, modified hour-glass shape. Thechassis 14 preferably comprises a front portion 56, a rear portion 58, acrotch portion 57. The chassis 14 preferably further compriseselasticized leg cuffs 32, an elasticized waistband 34, elasticized sidepanels 30 and longitudinal side regions 88. The longitudinal sideregions 88 preferably comprise a polymeric material to facilitate theseaming process which is described in greater detail below.

The training pants 20 preferably further comprises an absorbent assembly22 preferably secured to the chassis 14 by any means known in the art.The absorbent assembly preferably comprises a liquid permeable topsheet24, a liquid impervious backsheet 26 and an absorbent core 28 sandwichedbetween the topsheet 24 and the backsheet 26.

FIG. 2 is a partially cut-away perspective view of the disposablearticle 20 of FIG. 1, prior to the front portion 56 and the rear portion58 of the chassis 14 being joined together. (As used herein, the term"joined" encompasses configurations whereby an element is directlysecured to the other element by affixing the element directly to theother element, and configurations whereby the element is indirectlysecured to the other element by affixing the element to intermediatemember(s) which in turn are affixed to the other element.) As shown inFIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of the chassis 14 will comprise an outercover 48, an inner cover 46, elastic side panel members 90, elasticwaistband members 76, and elastic strands 75 secured between the innercover 46 and the outer covers 48.

The inner cover 46 is that portion of the chassis 14 which will form theinterior of the disposable training pants 20. The outer cover 48 is thatportion of the chassis 14 which will form the exterior of the disposabletraining pants 20, i.e. face away from the wearer. The outer cover 48 ispreferably liquid impervious or hydrophobic, yet breathable or perviousto vapors. The inner cover 46 and the outer cover 48 are preferablycompliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the wearer's skin. Asuitable inner or outer cover may be manufactured from a wide range ofmaterials, such as plastic films; or woven or non-woven webs of naturalfibers (e.g. wood or cotton fibers), synthetic fibers (e.g. polyester orpolypropylene fibers), or a combination of natural and synthetic fibers.Preferably, the inner and outer covers 46 and 48 comprise a significantamount of thermoplastic fibers, typically 50% or more, preferably 100%.Material suitable for use as an inner or outer cover is Series 6700Nonwoven manufactured by Scott Nonwovens of Landisville, N.J.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least a portionof the inner and outer covers 46, 48 will be subjected to mechanicalstretching in order to provide a "zero strain" stretch laminate thatforms the elasticized side panels 30. Thus, the inner and outer covers46, 48 are preferably elongatable, most preferably drawable, but notnecessarily elastomeric, so that the inner and outer covers 46, 48 will,upon mechanical stretching, be at least to a degree permanentlyelongated such that they will not fully return to their originalundistorted configuration. In preferred embodiments, the inner and outercovers 46, 48 can be subjected to mechanical stretching without unduerupturing or tearing. Thus, it is preferred that the inner and outercovers 46, have a low cross-machine direction (lateral direction) yieldstrength.

Suitable "zero strain" stretch laminates and methods for producing themare disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,330,458 entitled "Absorbent ArticleWith Elastic Feature Having A Portion Mechanically Prestrained" issuedto Buell et al., on Jul. 19, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 2,075,189 issued toGalligan on Mar. 30, 1937; U.S. Pat. No. 3,025,199 issued to Harwood onMar. 13, 1962; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,107,364 and 4,209,563 issued to Sissonon Aug. 15, 1978 and Jun. 24, 1980, respectively; U.S. Pat. No.4,834,741 issued to Sabee on May 30, 1989; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,151,092issued to Buell et al., on Sep. 29, 1992. All of the above referencedpatents are hereby incorporated by reference.

Alternatively, the inner and outer covers 46, 48 or portions thereof maycomprise a structural elastic-like film (SELF) web. A structuralelastic-like film web is an extensible material that exhibits anelastic-like behavior in the direction of elongation without the use ofadded elastic materials. SELF webs suitable for the present inventionare more completely described in the co-pending, commonly assigned U.S.patent application Ser. No. 08/203,456 entitled "Absorbent Article withMultiple Zone Structural Elastic-Like Film Web Extensible Waist Feature"filed by Donald C. Roe, et al. on Feb. 24, 1994, and InternationalApplication WO 9503765, entitled "Web Materials Exhibiting Elastic-LikeBehavior" published Feb. 9, 1995, in the names of Chappell et al., bothof which are incorporated herein by reference.

A more detailed description of a suitable training pant, as well aspreferred components and alternative embodiments, in which the methodand seams of the present invention may be used can be found in U.S. Pat.No. 5,236,430 entitled "Disposable Training Pant Having Fusion-Slit SideSeams", issued to Russell P. Bridges on Aug. 17, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No.5,246,433 entitled "Elasticized Disposable Training Pant and Method ofMaking the Same", issued to Hasse et al. on Sep. 21, 1993. Thespecification, claims and drawings of each of these patents are herebyincorporated by reference herein.

Method of Making a Flangeless Seam

One preferred method for making flangeless seams especially useful indisposable articles, such as training pants, incontinence articles andthe like is shown schematically in FIGS. 9A-9G. The step depicted inFIG. 9A shows providing a web 400 having longitudinal side edges 410that will be processed into disposable article 15 having first members200 and second members 202 to be joined. FIG. 9B shows barrier member205 provided juxtaposed at least a portion of each longitudinal sideedge 410. FIG. 9C shows the longitudinal side edges 410 being foldedover the web 400. FIG. 9D shows the chassis 14 of the disposable article15 with the side notches 10 removed. First member 200 is preferablyfolded about the barrier member 205 providing opposing proximal anddistal portions 210 and 212. The barrier member 205 is preferablydisposed at least partially between the opposing proximal and distalportions 210 and 212. (The "proximal portion" 210 is that portion of thefirst member 200 which is joined, or will be joined, either directly orindirectly, to a portion of the disposable article 15, preferably otherthan the second member 202. The "distal portion" 212 is that portion ofthe first member 200 comprising the free end 214 which is generally notjoined to any portion of the disposable article other than the secondmember 202.) FIG. 9E shows the second member 202 of the disposablearticle 15 being provided juxtaposed at least a portion of the firstmember 200 forming a laminate 220 of the first member 200, the secondmember 202 and the barrier member 205. (A more detailed drawing of thelaminate 220 is shown in FIG. 3) FIG. 9F shows a joining means 300 beingapplied across at least a portion of laminate 220, the joining means 300joining at least a portion of the first member 200 and the second member202 to form a seam 10. The barrier member 205 prevents the joining means300 from joining the opposing proximal and distal portions 210 and 212.Thus, the seam 10 may be opened from the configuration in which it issealed (one embodiment is shown in FIG. 3) to a flangeless configurationwherein opposing proximal and distal portions 210 and 212 of the firstmember 200 are in a relatively planar configuration with regard to oneanother (An example of the seam in a planar configuration is shown inFIG. 9G and in more detail in FIG. 3A).

It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is notintended to be limited by the particular order in which the steps of themethod are described. For example, although the side notches 10 areshown to be removed first in FIG. 9D, it is contemplated that the sidenotches 10 may be removed before, after or during any other step of theprocess. Further, the method of the present invention can be performedon-line in conjunction with, or at separate time and/or in a locationremote from, the manufacture of the absorbent article which comprise theseams formed by the present method. If the process is performed on-linein conjunction with the manufacture of the absorbent article, the seamsmay be formed before, after or at the same time that the first andsecond members 200 and 202 are joined with the chassis 14 of thedisposable article 15. Also, it should be understood that the exact sizeand shape of any member comprised in the disposable article 15, as wellas the materials comprised in the members may vary depending on thedesired characteristics of the disposable article 15.

The method for manufacturing a flangeless seam preferably includesproviding a first member 200. The chassis 14 preferably comprises atleast one longitudinal side region 88 having a first member 200 and asecond member 202. As shown in FIG. 2, the chassis 14 more preferablycomprises a pair of opposing longitudinal side regions 88, each of whichcomprise a first member 200 and a second member 202. (Although the firstmembers 200 are shown in FIG. 2 to be disposed in the front portion 56and the second members 202 are shown to be disposed in the rear portion58, embodiments are contemplated wherein the first members 200 aredisposed in the rear portion 58 and the second members 202 are disposedin the front portion 56.)

The first and second members 200 and 202 may be separate members joinedto the longitudinal side regions 88 or may be integral with thelongitudinal side regions 88. (As used herein, the term "integral"refers to elements that are joined to one another in such a way that theelements are neither divided nor discontinuous with the other elements.)If the first and second members 200 and 202 are joined with the chassis14, any suitable means for joining known in the art may be used. In apreferred embodiments, the first and second members 200 and 202 areextensions of the topsheet 24, the backsheet 26, both the topsheet 24and the backsheet 26 or any other element of the disposable article thatmay be suitable for joining to form a seam 10.

The first member 200 and the second member 202 may comprise any materialknown in the art that is suitable for use in disposable articles such astraining pants 20 which may be joined together to form seam 10. Examplesof suitable materials include, but are not limited to polymeric films,woven webs, nonwoven webs or combinations of these or other suitablematerials known in the art. Examples of preferred materials include thecarded nonwoven DPN290 available from Fiberweb, Clopay 1401 polyethylenefilm available from the Clopay Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio, and FS2or Plus polyethylene films available from Tredegar Film Products, Inc.,of Terre Haute Ind.

The method of the present invention further comprises the step ofproviding a barrier member 205, as shown in FIGS. 3-7. The barriermember 205 is provided to ensure that when the seam 10 is formed,joining the first member 200 and the second member 202, at least aportion of the first member 200 is not joined with at least a portion ofthe second member 202. The barrier member 205 may take on any shape,size or configuration suitable for the particular seam to be formed. Thebarrier member 205 may comprise a single layer or any number of layers.(The multi-layer configurations may comprise a single barrier memberfolded upon itself any number of times or may comprise layers ofunjoined material) The barrier member 205 may comprise any knownmaterial or means that will prevent the first member 200 and the secondmember 202 from becoming fully joined when the seam is formed. Further,the barrier member 205 may be a separate element joined to the firstmember or a separate member not joined to the first member 200, butmerely provided in a position to act as a barrier while the seam isbeing formed. Alternatively, the barrier member 205 may comprise anelement or material that is unitary or integrated with at least aportion of the first member 200, such as a material coextruded with thefirst member 200, or portion of the first member that has beenchemically, mechanically or otherwise manipulated to act as a barrier tothe joining means 300 used to form the seam.

Examples of suitable barrier members include, but are not limited toKEVLAR, NYLON, polypropylene films, polyethylene films, scrims, wovenmaterials or laminates of any these or any other suitable materialsknown in the art. Other suitable barrier member materials may comprisesilicone, talc, clay, TEFLON, lotions or any other suitable releasemeans that will prevent predetermined portions of the barrier member 205from becoming joined when the joining means 300 is applied. Yet othersuitable barrier members comprise foams; laminates of films, foamsand/or nonwoven webs; adhesives; coated or non-coated paper products;cotton and cotton-flocked films. Generally, the composition of thebarrier member 205 will be limited only by the particular joining means300 which will be used and the strength characteristics necessary toprovide an acceptable seam.

The means by which the barrier member 205 may be provided, as well thetiming and location for providing the barrier member 205 will bedependent on the exact barrier member 205 chosen. However, once aparticular barrier member 205 has been chosen, the barrier member 205may be provided by any suitable means known in the art. For instance, ifa barrier member 205 comprising silicone is chosen, one preferred meansfor providing the barrier member 205 is spraying the siliconecomposition onto at least a portion of the first member 200.

In one preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, once the barrier member205 is provided, the first member 200 is folded about the barrier member205. (As stated above, the exact order of the steps of the process arenot critical, thus, the barrier member 205 may be provided before orafter the first member 200 is folded.) The fold 215 preferably separatesthe first member 200 into two portions, a proximal portion 210 and anopposing distal portion 212. Preferably, the barrier member 205 isdisposed at least partially between the opposing proximal and distalportions 210 and 212, as shown in FIG. 3. The length of the proximalportion 210 and the distal portion 212 is not critical, and either orboth may comprise any number of layers and/or folds. In fact, it isrecognized that one way to increase the strength of the finished seam isto provide more material in the seam area 250. This is especiallyrelevant when the joining means 205 comprises some sort of heat,pressure, heat and pressure, or ultrasonic bonding wherein at least aportion of the bond comprises the material to which the bonding means isapplied. In an alternative embodiment, the first member 200 is foldedabout the barrier member 205 and at least a portion of the second member202, as shown in FIG. 4.

The method of the present invention further comprises the step ofproviding a second member 202. The second member 202 is preferablyprovided juxtaposed at least a portion of the distal portions 210 of thefirst member 200 at a location wherein the opposing proximal and distalportions 210 and 212 have the barrier member 205 disposed between them.This forms a laminate 220 (one embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 3)including the proximal and distal portions 210 and 212, and the barriermember 205. (As used herein, the term "laminate" refers to any number ofmaterials that are in a generally overlapping configuration so as toform at least two layers. The materials included in the laminate maycomprise single layer materials or laminates of similar or differentmaterials. Further, any laminates comprised in the laminate 220 may havelayers that are joined or unjoined with each other.)

Once the materials comprised in the laminate 220 have been properlyconfigured, the seam 10 is formed. The seam 10 comprises those portionsof the laminate 220 that are joined together (i.e. at least a portion ofthe first member 200 and at least a portion of the second member 202).To form the seam 10, a joining means 300 is applied across at least aportion of the laminate 220. In one preferred embodiment, the joiningmeans 300 is applied across the seam are 250 as shown in FIG. 3. Thejoining means 300 joins at least a portion of the first member 200 andat least a portion of the second member 202. However, the barrier member205 prevents the joining means 300 from joining at least a portion ofthe proximal portion 210 with the distal portion 212. Thus, a flangelessseam 10 is formed that may be "opened" to the relatively planarconfiguration shown in FIG. 3A. (As used herein, the terms "open" or"opened" refer to pulling apart or separating predetermined portions ofthe laminate 220, such as the proximal portion 210 and the distalportion 212, once the laminate has been seamed so as to form arelatively planar configuration, an example of which is shown in FIG.3A.)

The joining means 300 may comprise any means suitable for joining thematerials comprised in the first and second members 200 and 202.However, a joining means must be chosen that will join the desiredportion or portions of the first member 200 with the desired portion orportions of the second member 202 while not joining to those portions ofthe first member 200 and the second member 202 which have beendesignated to remain unjoined. Thus, it is important to choose a joiningmeans 300 that will work effectively with the barrier member 205 toachieve the desired results. Suitable joining means include, but are notlimited to, adhesives, pressure bonding means, heat bonding means, heatand pressure bonding means, ultrasound bonding means, infrared bondingmeans or any other joining means or combination of joining means knownin the art.

Examples of suitable adhesive joining means include, but are not limitedto, hot melt adhesives such as Findley 2120, or Findley 2379 availablefrom Findley Adhesives Corporation of Wauwatosa, Wis. Such adhesive maybe applied with slot, spiral or control spray coating equipment such asthose available from Nordson Corporation of Norcross, Ga. Examples ofmethods and apparatus for treating materials with ultrasonic energy aredisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,033 issued to Sager on Apr. 18, 1972entitled "Method and Apparatus for Continuous Cutting and Joining ofThermoplastic Sheet Material"; U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,227 issued toRiemersma on Aug. 23, 1983; U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,148 issued to Schaeferon Feb. 7, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,427 issued to Flood on Dec. 24,1985 entitled "Ultrasonic Seal and Cut Method and Apparatus"; and U.S.Pat. No. 4,693,771 issued to Payet, et al. on Sep. 15, 1987 entitled"Woven Textile Fabric Having and Ultrasonically Cut and Sealed Edge andApparatus and Process for Producing Same"; all of which references areincorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,430 entitled"Disposable Training Pant Having Fusion-Slit Seam", issued to RussellBridges on Aug. 17, 1993; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,132 issued to Tuma, etal. on Jul. 22, 1969 entitled "Apparatus for Severing and Sealing Websof Heat Sealable Packaging Material in a Single Operation", disclosepreferred methods and apparatus for severing and sealing webs usingthermal energy and mechanical energy including ultrasound. Thesereferences are also incorporated herein by reference.

An alternative embodiment of a seam produced by the method of thepresent invention is shown in FIGS. 5-7. FIG. 5 shows the first andsecond members 200 and 202 of the present invention in a configurationafter the first and second members 200 and 202 have been providedjuxtaposed one another, the barrier member 205 has been provided, thefirst member 200 has been folded about the barrier member 205 and thejoining means has been applied, as described above. In this embodiment,joining means 205 preferably joins not only the proximal portion 210 ofthe first member 200 with at least a portion of the second member, butalso joins the barrier member 205 to both the proximal portion 210 andthe distal portion 212 of the first member 200. Thus, as shown in FIGS.5-7, to open the flangeless seam 10, the barrier member 205 ispreferably torn or separated. (An example of this seam configuration isshown in FIG. 7.) Although the structure of barrier member 205 itself isshown to be tearing or separating, the barrier member 205 couldalternatively separate from either or both the proximal portion 210 orthe distal portion 212. Therefore, seams with different openingcharacteristics can be produced by the method of the present invemiondepending on the structural characteristics of the barrier member 205 orthe joining means 300 chosen.

In one particularly preferred embodiment, the barrier member 205comprises a nonwoven material that will tear with less force than isneeded to separate the barrier member 205 from either the proximalportion 210 or the distal portion 212. Thus, a nonwoven material will bedisposed along at least a portion of one surface of both the proximalportion 210 and the distal portion 212 of the first member 200. Thisconfiguration is especially preferred when the seam 10 is to be used ina disposable article such as the one shown in FIG. 8. The torn barriermember 205 provides a skin friendly surface that can be disposed againstthe skin of a wearer once the seam 10 is opened as is shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 8 shows one preferred embodiment of a disposable garment 15comprising of the seam 10 formed by one method of the present invention.The seam 10 as shown in FIG. 8 is preferably formed by the methoddescribed above wherein the barrier member 205 is tearable or separable,and preferably comprises a skin friendly material. The barrier member205 may span the entire length of the seam 10 or any portion of the seam10. Thus, a seam 10 may be formed having an "openable portion" 500 and a"closed portion" 505. (As used herein, the term "openable portion"refers to that portion of the seam comprising a barrier member allowingthe seam to be opened to a flangeless configuration. The term "closedportion" refers to that portion of a seam that has no barrier member,and thus may not be opened.) As shown in FIG. 8, the openable portion500 of the seam 10 may be shorter in length than the distance betweenthe waist hoop 40 and the leg openings 44. This may give the user agreater fit range for a given size garment or may be used to help theuser to tailor the fit of the garment to the particular wearer byallowing the user to open the seam 10 when desired to provide aparticular size or fit.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modifications can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a flangeless seam by joiningtwo members of a disposable article, the method comprising the stepsof:providing a first member of the disposable article; providing abarrier member; folding the first member of the disposable article aboutthe barrier member providing opposing proximal and distal portions ofthe first member, the barrier member being disposed at least partiallybetween the opposing proximal and distal portions; providing a secondmember of the disposable article in a folded configuration juxtaposed atleast a portion of the first member to form a laminate including thefirst member, the second member and form barrier member; and applying ajoining means across at least a portion of the laminate joining at leasta portion of the first member and the second member, the barrier memberpreventing the joining means from joining the proximal portion with thedistal portion.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofpulling apart the first member and the second member to form aflangeless seam.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step ofremoving the barrier member after the joining means is applied.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the step of folding the first member includesfolding the first member before the barrier in interposed between theopposing proximal and distal portions.
 5. The method of claim 1 whereinthe first member includes more than one fold.
 6. The method of claim 1wherein the barrier member is separably joined to the proximal portionsuch that the proximal portion can be pulled apart from the barriermember to form a flangeless seam.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein thebarrier member is separably joined to the distal portion such that thedistal portion can be pulled apart from the barrier member to form aflangeless seam.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein the barrier member isseparably joined to both the proximal portion and the distal portionsuch that the proximal and distal portions can be pulled apart from thebarrier member to form a flangeless seam.
 9. A method of making aflangeless seam by joining two members of a disposable article, themethod comprising the steps of:providing a first member of thedisposable article; providing a barrier member; folding the first memberof the disposable article about the barrier member providing opposingproximal and distal portions of the first member, the barrier memberbeing disposed at least partially between the opposing proximal anddistal portions; joining the barrier member to both the proximal and thedistal portions; providing a second member of the disposable articlejuxtoposed at least a portion of the first member to form a laminateincluding the first member, the second member and the barrier member;and applying a joining means across at least a portion of the laminatejoining at least a portion of the first member and the second member,the barrier member preventing the joining means from joining theproximal portion with the distal portion.
 10. The method of claim 9wherein the barrier member comprises a separable material.
 11. Themethod of claim 10 further comprising the step of separating at least aportion of the separable material to form a flangeless seam where theseparable material has been separated.
 12. The method of claim 1 whereinthe barrier member is a separate member from the second member.
 13. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the barrier member is integral with at least aportion of the second member.
 14. The method of claim 1 wherein thefirst member is folded about both the barrier member and at least aportion of the second member.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein thejoining means consists any of the bonding means selected from thefollowing group: pressure sensitive adhesive bonding, hot melt adhesivebonding, heat bonding, pressure bonding, heat and pressure bonding,ultrasonic bonding, and infrared bonding.
 16. The method of claim 1wherein the barrier member comprises a nonwoven.
 17. The method of claim1 wherein the barrier member comprises a film.
 18. The method of claim 1wherein the barrier member comprises a laminate of a nonwoven and afilm.
 19. A method of making a flangeless seam by joining two members ofa disposable article, the method comprising the steps of:providing afirst member of the disposable article; providing a barrier member;folding the first member of the disposable article about the barriermember providing opposing proximal and distal portions of the firstmember, the barrier member being disposed at least partially between theopposing proximal and distal portions; providing a second member of thedisposable article in a folded configuration juxtaposed at least aportion of the first member to form a laminate including the firstmember, the second member and the barrier member; providing a joiningmeans across at least a portion of the laminate joining at least aportion of the first member and the second member, the barrier memberpreventing the joining means from joining the proximal portion with thedistal portion; removing the barrier means; and pulling apart the firstmember and the second member to form a flangeless seam.